A/N: Hey guys! Look who crawled out from the hobbit hole with a new fanfiction? It's me, Cup Ramen! *Insert automated applause* So. I was thinking that since it's quite difficult to get into the zone to write Shamelessly Sassy Superheroes (SSS) all the time, it'd be good to write two main works which are polar opposites and switch between the two. You know, just to make sure I'm not a dead writer or anything. Don't expect the same style of writing as in SSS since this story will be less episodic and the language used will be a lot plainer. Enjoy!

P.s. Please don't be deterred by my use of the word 'shit' twice in the beginning because I swear I only use it those two times! Also, I'm using Australian English spelling so don't mind it too much!

Shout out to chokecherries - remember when we were talking about needing a time travel story? Surprise!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail (Duh).

Title: Boom, Crash, 7 Years Back

Chapter 1: Bite off more than you can chew

Mondays had always been considered as shit days as far as the rest of the working world was concerned and Lucy Heartfilia wholeheartedly agreed as she peeked through the white wooden blinds of her office window, watching latecomers haggardly rush through the company doors. It was one minute till nine in the morning, her underlings were tardy and gaunt from being brought back to reality, Mondayitis was being like a clingy and possessive boyfriend and the contents of a single letter that lay open on her desk made her want to hurl herself off of the nearest cliff. In other words – it was Monday and it was a shit day.

The blonde let out a long sigh and her gaze shifted to her desk once again, scanning the piles of finished paperwork that she had arranged earlier this morning. When her eyes finally landed on that dreaded letter whose first line read 'High School Reunion' in bolded cursive she sighed again.

"Holy crumpet sticks, no." She spoke out loud to no one in particular.

Seven years had passed since she had graduated from Magnolia High and apart from regularly meeting up with her close friend group she had done little to keep in touch with the rest of her classmates – and she had wanted it to stay that way for good reason too. Memories of her final school year were more or less plagued with feelings of regret and remembrances of heartbreak for a crush she never even began to pursue. Thinking back to her cowardly high school self whose naivety and fervent belief that 'if you don't try, you can't fail' made her cringe more than just a little. If she could turn back time she'd probably do everything differently but even she knew that it was meaningless to dwell on a time that would never be found again. Anyway, she must have been out of her mind when in spite of everything, she responded to Levy's text about the event with an 'A-OK I'll be there' – Another thing to add to her list of regrets.

"Levy-chan I don't want to go anymore! I change my mind!" Lucy continued to whine to her blue-haired bestie as she clung to the knob of her front door trying not to be dragged away to the high school reunion. Home right now was the only sanctuary to this hell that she had unwittingly signed herself up for.

"Come on Lu-chan – you promised me you'd go and you always keep your promises. Plus, I've already told Cana and Juvia we'd meet up with them there!"

"I SO did not promise! It was just something I decided on the spur of the moment and now I really don't want to go!" Her grip on the door was as tight as ever but why did she feel as if Levy had somehow turned into Hercules? Lucy barely stopped herself from stumbling in her heels as she struggled to anchor herself onto her safe zone.

"Lu-chan, you gave me your word and that in itself is enough of a promise." Levy proceeded to tug a very defeated Lucy into the taxi, silently celebrating over her victory.

The taxi ride to the restaurant took maybe a quarter of an hour, after all, Lucy did move out of her family home to be closer to work though now she was somewhat regretting that too. The growing feeling of nausea, excitement and nervousness increased tenfold once she exited the taxi. Familiar faces could be seen through the large glass windows of the establishment and the blonde gulped apprehensively as she and Levy made their way to the entrance. Was it just her imagination or were her hands super clammy and shaky? Seriously? She was fine holding meetings and large conferences for work but apparently her private life was a different matter entirely. Wiping her sweaty palms onto the fabric of her black cocktail dress, she cleared her rusty throat, preparing for the oncoming battle.

Walking into the restaurant, Lucy could make out recognisable voices amongst the rampant chatter. From the corner of her eye she could spot Cana and Juvia seated closer to the edge of the bistro, gesturing for her and Levy to join them. As she made a beeline towards the pair she greeted some old friends, marvelling at how everyone had changed throughout the years.

"So, nice of you to finally join us Lucy. Man I thought you'd pull a no-show on us tonight," Cana drawled, obviously drunk again.

"She tried and she failed."

Lucy grimaced as Levy shot her a look.

Cana raised a brow at the blonde, "Oh?".

"Uh. . . Let's not talk about this – Levy, did you need some help getting onto the dining chair? It's kind of tall and you're. . . well, kind of struggling." Lucy tried to shift the topic of the conversation, hoping that they wouldn't bring it up again.

"Oh, why don't we all order?" Juvia piped in conveniently.

As if on cue, Warren made his way to their table, a stack of menus in his hand.

"Why hello ladies! How's the night treating you? Glad you could come!"

"Oh well we just arrived but it sure is lively here! How have you been?" Levy spoke for the rest of the group.

"Glad you asked! I'm actually –"

"OH! Didn't you make it big or something? You're working for one of those technology companies right? What was it again? Banana? Pear?" Cana swiftly interrupted the man, struggling to recall what she had heard from the grapevine.

"It's Apple, Cana. . . " Warren looked slightly displeased at the brunette.

"And to think that back then all you'd do in class was fly paper planes," Juvia was honestly surprised at the change.

"Well you know what they say - it's shocking when the underdog succeeds!" Warren boasted and the rest of the group eye-rolled. "I'll send in the orders. Make sure to catch up with everyone else too though they'd probably just make their way here themselves."

"Man, they seriously outdid themselves this time with the reunion and all. Look at this place! Good food and good booze and good ambience." Cana drunkenly commented, making sure to emphasize on the 'booze'.

Lucy nodded, agreeing with her remark. This was one of the more popular restaurant bars in the city - her colleagues had named it the best place for Friday night drinks or something. The blonde surveyed the modern interior of the establishment, feeling somewhat overwhelmed at the sight of faces she hadn't seen in years. Everyone had changed – some more than others and even though they all began at the same starting point, the lives they each led and the paths they walked were so different now. A strange feeling of nostalgia tugged at her heart, filling her with memories of a time long gone. It was a mix of bliss and sadness that she hadn't felt in a long time and it was exactly why she didn't want to come tonight.

"Lucy, Levy, Juvia and Cana! I haven't seen you all in ages!" Erza's voice brought Lucy out of her reverie. The redhead, looking no different from what she did seven years ago made her way to greet them all."How have you all been?"

"As dandy as a dandy can be," Cana took a swig of her glass of beer.

"That's good to know," Erza nodded before speaking once again. "So what are you all up to nowadays?"

"Well, Juvia is working as a wedding planner at the moment, what about you Erza-san?"

"Oh, so I heard from Mirajane. You're both working in the same company right? I'm working as a lawyer at a firm nearby." Erza paused before directing her gaze towards a certain brunette, "Cana, I'll pass you my business card before the night ends just in case you need some legal assistance."

As expected of our school captain, Lucy thought to herself.

"Well, as for me, I've opened a bookstore in the city. It's close to Lu-chan's workplace so we meet up often with these two for lunch."

"That's nice! It seems like something you'd do Levy. Maybe I should pop by sometime too. What about you Lucy?" Erza looked over to the blonde. The expectation and anticipation was evident in her eyes and that made Lucy squirm in her seat.

"Ah, well, it's not as interesting as what the others are doing but I'm currently the deputy editor for a magazine company."

"That's amazing Lucy! It's so wonderful to hear so many success stories from our year. We've always been the problem cohort so it makes me happy to see where everyone is now." Erza nodded firmly, looking as proud as a mother. "Remember Max? The one who had an obsession with the broom? He's an event planner now and a janitor on the side! Who would have guessed?"

". . .Well the janitor part was somewhat within our range of expectations," Levy added before letting Erza continue.

Within minutes the group had become completely immersed in a discussion about the past - recalling events that were once routine to their high school selves but now were just happy memories. Back then they were filled with dreams and hope for an unknown future that lay ahead. They were ignorant and adventurous and at the peak of their youth. But to Lucy, it was just a time that would never be real again. As the rest of her friends greeted their fondest memories that had been tucked away for seven years, the blonde could only savour the bittersweet aftertaste of the rose-coloured recollections. Not wanting to stay a part of the discussion, Lucy couldn't help but let her attention wander. Her eyes drifted across the room, stopping only when they landed on a certain white-haired individual – Lisanna. The blonde's chocolate orbs widened in response but she wasn't able to avert her gaze.

Lisanna was standing by a decorative wooden pillar, conversing with Evergreen, Laki and a few others. Lucy sucked in a breath as she saw Bickslow walk up to the group and casually sling his arm around the girl's waist before pecking her softly on the lips. No way.

"Didn't think you and Natsu would end so quickly," Evergreen matter-of-factly stated as she took a sip of her martini.

"Really? I kind of saw it coming - no offense intended!" Laki sputtered the last part quickly, unsure why she had let anything slip from her mouth at all.

"None taken! I guess we weren't really made for each other. Like, how do I put it? It just didn't work out I guess. Well, even though I say that, we're still good friends to this day."

"Well, you know what they say – youth is the height of passion and adventure but after that, the excitement just fizzles out."

"Wow, how unromantic Freed. Butt hurt from being rejected again?"

"I'm not butt hurt from anything! It's called reality Evergreen." The green-haired man huffed.

The conversation continued but the topic had ended as quickly as it came. Lucy was left to mull over what she had heard. So Natsu wasn't with Lisanna anymore? She was sure they'd still be together, get married, and fill the world with pink and white-haired babies. Well you get the gist - they looked like they'd be the 'high school sweethearts' kind of couple but maybe Lucy was just too deep in heartbreak to really notice anything at all back then. It's not like it had anything to do with her though. Who knows if Natsu was with someone else now? She'd hardly even had a decent conversation with him and he probably wouldn't recognise her if they passed each other on the streets. Chances were they wouldn't see each other tonight either and the thought of it both relieved and bothered Lucy.

The night went on and it was maybe nearly ten by now. Lucy and the others had conversed and reconnected with the majority of their classmates, exchanging phone numbers and Facebook details with several promises to meet up again in the near future. The energized chatter and celebrations from the beginning of the night had fizzled out. Instead, people had split up into smaller groups for conversation.

"Hey Levy-chan, I think it's high time I leave now. I've got a meeting tomorrow morning so I'd rather not stay for too long."

"Ah yeah, me too Lu-chan. I think Juvia has work tomorrow too so let's all go and call a taxi."

"Um, what about Cana?" The blonde inquired, pointing towards the brunette who had surrounded herself with a fortress of alcoholic beverages.

"What about Cana? She's absolutely plastered but I think she wants to stay," Levy shook her head exasperatedly before speaking once again, "Erza says she'll take care of Cana."

As expected of the school captain, Lucy thought to herself for the second time that night.

Stepping out of the restaurant was like stepping back into the plane of reality. The chill of the cold summer air greeted them and the lively mood from just moments ago made the silence feel strangely unpleasant.

As if unable to bear the loneliness that hung in the air, Juvia quickly spoke up, "Juvia will go hail a taxi," before hurriedly walking towards the taxi bay.

"I'm so tired," Levy mumbled before yawning a little.

"Yeah." The blonde's reply was barely audible. Perhaps it was only her who missed the past. "So, Gajeel didn't come tonight?"

"Oh, he's going to attend a bit later. Though it doesn't really matter to me. We practically see each other every day."

"I guess."

Levy was the only one from their group who was currently in a relationship. Maybe that was why she wasn't so affected by today's gathering. She and Gajeel had been together since after graduation – they were literally made for each other.

"The taxi's here guys!" Juvia motioned at a yellow cab that had pulled up.

"Maybe it's best if Levy-chan boards first. Looks like she's about to pass out from sleepiness."

As Levy was very slowly getting into the taxi, Lucy noticed another cab pull up behind them. From the corner of her eyes she caught a glimpse of cherry blossom-coloured hair and immediately, her body stilled.

"Oi, flame brain we're totally late! And it's your bloody fault for taking so long!"

"Hey! Ouch, don't kick me you damn popsicle!"

Voices that she hadn't heard in seven years.

Juvia, who was about to get into the taxi turned back to Lucy, "Lucy-san, how about we drop Levy-san off first since – " her voice trailed off but the blonde didn't notice. She hadn't even registered a single thing besides the presence of the man who had exited the cab behind them. He was dressed in a simple button up shirt and matching black pants. Nursing his rear end which had been imprinted with Gray's shoe-print, he began to speak before turning to face the blonde's direction. And in that moment, onyx orbs met Lucy's brown ones.

"God, hurry up slanty eyes! Erza's gonna kill us!"

"Oh shit!" Natsu broke off his gaze towards the blonde, rushing into the restaurant with his frenemy. Apparently Erza was still a force to be reckoned with.

"Guys, what's taking you so long? Taxi. In. Now," Levy drowsily demanded, patting the seat next to her.

Lucy's heart was still thumping loudly from the exchange but she knew better than to raise her hopes for no reason. Turning back to get into the taxi she realized that Juvia was staring off dazedly into blank space.

"Gray," the blunette's voice was soft and poignant. As if coming back to her senses she quickly made her way into the car.

A/N: So . . . How was it? It's a lot more different from the comedy and pazzash in SSS isn't it? I hope you guys liked it nevertheless! I actually found it really difficult to split what I've already written into chapters . . . since it literally flows so well (too well). The second chapter will be posted within the next week. I just need to have it checked over but I prefer to have chapter 3 in reserve before any new posts. Ohohoho, am I the only one who's super hyped about it? Writing this reminded me of breezy summer nights - aka them nostalgia feels. Gods, my playlist was filled with nice, sad, youthful, summery Japanese songs while I was writing this. Try listening to: I will - Chelsy and Planetarium cover by Nero. Youtube it kids! See you soon! Don't forget to review! Please for the life of me, review. I want to know what you think about this new work! Pretty please with 77 strawberries on top!

NOTICE: Senbei and I are contemplating having Senbei write and alternate version of this story with no time travel involved. We've got the story line planned for that too but we would be happy to receive feedback about what you think. Thank you! Much Love! xoxoxo